The Denver Broncos–Cincinnati Bengals game had NFL fans on the edge of their seats from start to finish, especially in overtime. But overtime could've been avoided if the Broncos would've gone for a two-point conversion instead of an extra point to end regulation.
The Broncos scored a touchdown with eight seconds remaining in regulation thanks to a 25-yard touchdown pass thrown by Bo Nix to Marvin Mims Jr. It looked like Denver was going to attempt a two-point conversion to try to win the game as Nix threw up two fingers to indicate their next move. However, coach Sean Payton sent kicker Wil Lutz onto the field to instead tie the game and send it into overtime.
The decision eventually didn't work out in their favor, as the Bengals won 30–24 in overtime during the fifth drive of extra time. The Broncos punted the ball away during both of their overtime possessions.
Yet, Payton stood by his decision to not go for the two-point conversion. A lot of it had to do with the fact that the Broncos would've clinched a playoff spot with a win or a tie.
“If the tie element didn’t sit in there, it probably would’ve been a little easier decision," Payton said. "I was comfortable with the decision. We had plenty of time with the decision.
“We discussed it all,” Payton said. “Plenty of time, plenty of time, plenty of time and the decision we made is the right one. ... A lot of it is your gut relative to how the toss goes. We were moving a little bit on offense, and then weighing the percentages of the two-point conversion. I think that had a lot do with it.”
The Broncos will need to win their Week 18 game against the Kansas City Chiefs to officially clinch a playoff spot. If they can't do that, then they need the Bengals at least to lose since Cincinnati now holds the tiebreaker over them.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sean Payton Defended Broncos' 'Right Decision' to Not Go for Two-Point Conversion.